Indra
Indra (/ˈɪndrə/; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.
| Indra | |
|---|---|
Painting of Indra on his elephant mount, Airavata, c. 1820. | |
| Other names | Devendra, Mahendra, Surendra, Surapati, Suresha, Devesha, Devaraja, Amaresha, Parjanya, Vendhan, |
| Devanagari | इन्द्र |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Indra |
| Affiliation | Adityas, Deva, Bhagwan, Para brahman, Dikpala, Parjanya |
| Abode | Amarāvati, the capital of Indraloka in Svarga |
| Mantra | Om Indra Devaya Namah Om Indra Rajaya Vidmahe Mahaindraya Dhimahi Tanno Indraya Prachodayat |
| Weapon | Vajra (thunderbolt), Astras, Indrastra, Aindrastra, Vasavi Shakti |
| Symbols | Vajra, Indra's net |
| Day | Sunday |
| Mount | Airavata (white elephant), Uchchaihshravas (white horse) |
| Texts | Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads |
| Gender | Male |
| Festivals | Indra Jatra, Indra Vila, Raksha Bandhan, Lohri, Sawan, Deepavali |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Vedic Dyaus (father) and
Prithvi (mother) Puranic |
| Siblings | Adityas including Surya, Varuna, Bhaga, Aaryaman, Mitra, Savitr and Vamana |
| Consort | Shachi |
| Children | Jayanta, Rishabha, Midhusha, Jayanti, Devasena (Shashthi), Vali and Arjuna (spiritual son) |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek equivalent | Zeus |
| Roman equivalent | Jupiter |
| Norse equivalent | Thor |
| Slavic equivalent | Perun |
| Canaanite equivalent | Ba‘al |
| Indo-European equivalent | Perkwunos |
| Celtic equivalent | Taranis |
| Japanese equivalent | Susanoo-no-Mikoto |
| Nuristani equivalent | Great Gish |
| Egyptian equivalent | Amun |
| Buddhist equivalent | Śakra |
Indra is the most referred deity in the Rigveda. He is celebrated for his powers based on his status as a god of order, and as the one who killed the great evil, an asura named Vritra, who obstructed human prosperity and happiness. Indra destroys Vritra and his "deceiving forces", and thereby brings rain and sunshine as the saviour of mankind.
Indra's significance diminishes in the post-Vedic Indian literature, but he still plays an important role in various mythological events. He is depicted as a powerful hero, and is known for having sexual relations with sage Gautama's wife, Ahalya.
According to the Vishnu Purana, Indra is the title borne by the king of the gods, which changes every Manvantara – a cyclic period of time in Hindu cosmology. Each Manvantara has its own Indra and the Indra of the current Manvantara is called Purandhara.
Indra is also depicted in Buddhist (Pali: Indā) and Jain mythologies. Indra rules over the much-sought Devas realm of rebirth within the Samsara doctrine of Buddhist traditions. However, like the post-Vedic Hindu texts, Indra is also a subject of ridicule and reduced to a figurehead status in Buddhist texts, shown as a god that suffers rebirth. In Jain traditions, unlike Buddhism and Hinduism, Indra is not the king of gods, but the king of superhumans residing in Svarga-Loka, and very much a part of Jain rebirth cosmology. He is also the one who appears with his wife Indrani to celebrate the auspicious moments in the life of a Jain Tirthankara, an iconography that suggests the king and queen of superhumans residing in Svarga reverentially marking the spiritual journey of a Jain. He is a rough equivalent to Zeus in Greek mythology, or Jupiter in Roman mythology. Indra's powers are similar to other Indo-European deities such as Norse Odin, Perun, Perkūnas, Zalmoxis, Taranis, and Thor, part of the greater Proto-Indo-European mythology.
Indra's iconography shows him wielding his Vajra and riding his vahana, Airavata. Indra's abode is in the capital city of Svarga, Amaravati, though he is also associated with Mount Meru (also called Sumeru).